Passing defense: A-

Joe Cavaretta (Jared Odrick, left); Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel

The numbers indicate that the Dolphins' pass defense was formidable, but credit for that has to go to the Miami defensive line, which was able to get pressure on Buffalo quarterback Thad Lewis with only a four-man rush. Led by the strong play of Olivier Vernon and Dion Jordan, Miami forced Lewis to fumble twice and had four sacks. Lewis threw for 202 yards on 21-of-31 passing, but aside from a 30-yard third-down conversion to T.J. Graham, most of the South Florida native's completions were dink-and-dunk passes. It wasn't a flawless performance, but it took advantage of a young, inexperienced quarterback and made it clear that the Dolphins weren't going to lose through the air.

The numbers indicate that the Dolphins' pass defense was formidable, but credit for that has to go to the Miami defensive line, which was able to get pressure on Buffalo quarterback Thad Lewis with only a four-man rush. Led by the strong play of Olivier Vernon and Dion Jordan, Miami forced Lewis to fumble twice and had four sacks. Lewis threw for 202 yards on 21-of-31 passing, but aside from a 30-yard third-down conversion to T.J. Graham, most of the South Florida native's completions were dink-and-dunk passes. It wasn't a flawless performance, but it took advantage of a young, inexperienced quarterback and made it clear that the Dolphins weren't going to lose through the air. (Joe Cavaretta (Jared Odrick, left); Jim Rassol, Sun Sentinel)

The numbers indicate that the Dolphins' pass defense was formidable, but credit for that has to go to the Miami defensive line, which was able to get pressure on Buffalo quarterback Thad Lewis with only a four-man rush. Led by the strong play of Olivier Vernon and Dion Jordan, Miami forced Lewis to fumble twice and had four sacks. Lewis threw for 202 yards on 21-of-31 passing, but aside from a 30-yard third-down conversion to T.J. Graham, most of the South Florida native's completions were dink-and-dunk passes. It wasn't a flawless performance, but it took advantage of a young, inexperienced quarterback and made it clear that the Dolphins weren't going to lose through the air.